The three killings add to a recent spurt of homicides that has put Indianapolis on pace to eclipse its 2013 homicide total — 142 —the city's highest in seven years.

One man was found fatally wounded inside a home in the 1100 block of North Ewing Street when police responded to a report of a person shot around 10:30 p.m. Friday. Police have identified the victim as Joshua Luecking, 39, of Indianapolis; they have not given any possible motives for the shooting.

Less than an hour later, IMPD officers responded to another report of shots fired and found two men dead in a parked car in the 9200 block of Beechtree Court. The victims were identified as Terry Hunter, 21, and Romello Carney, 19, both of Indianapolis.

Autopsies confirmed both men died from gunshot wounds.

No arrests had been reported in either case as of 1 p.m.

The three killings add to a recent spurt of homicides that has put Indianapolis on pace to eclipse its 2013 homicide total of 125, the city's highest in seven years. The growing homicide count includes more than a half-dozen slayings, many still unsolved, in the last week.

At the current pace of nearly one homicide every two days, the city is on track for 163 homicides in 2014.

In the first shooting, police reported several people were inside the Ewing Street residence and told officers they had witnessed the shooting.

When police arrived at Beechtree Court at about 11:20 p.m., they found a red Chevrolet Lumina, parked on the street with the passenger side door open. Inside, officers found the two males with fatal gunshot wounds.

A statement from IMPD said detectives are canvassing the area this morning for potential witnesses and the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency is processing the crime scene.

Anyone with information about the shootings is urged to call homicide detectives at (317) 327-3475. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-8477.

The growing homicide count total includes more than a half-dozen slayings, many still unsolved, in recent days:

A 36-year-old Noblesville man was fatally shot Sunday afternoon at an Eastside clothing store, police said, as two Indianapolis teens tried to rob the Body Gear at 2816 E. 38th St. Deaundre Graves, 18, and Jeffery Rhodes, 17, have been formally charged as adults with several felonies.

A triple homicide occurred late Sunday at a Far-Eastside apartment complex, claiming the lives of two men and a woman, all in their 50s. Police think the killings in the 9500 block of Shoreland Court were drug related, but they have not arrested anyone.

A 24-year-old computer programmer was gunned down for no apparent reason about 6a.m. Tuesday in the parking lot of Tron Tire Shop in the 3500 block of West 16th Street. Police said the man typically walked down the street every evening. No suspects have been found, though video footage from the tire store captured the attackers fleeing the scene.

Wednesday morning, a 56-year-old Indianapolis man was found dead behind an Eastside apartment complex in the first block of South Wallace Lane. Police say his death appears to be a homicide. Area residents reported hearing gunshots a few hours before the body was found.

Although IMPD and other public safety officials note that aggravated assaults in the city are down about 10 percent this year from the same period last year, they realize the homicides, including the latest flurry, further underscore the need for an increased police presence and more community involvement.

"Every human life is valuable. We cannot be apathetic," Public Safety Director Troy Riggs said in an interview earlier this week. "Even though some of our crime numbers are down — which is a good sign, hopefully — homicide is a lack of respect for human life.

"To take human life, that is a scary situation, and we need to make sure we are doing everything we can as a department and a community."

In recent weeks, Riggs, other city officials and community leaders have touted several new programs they hope will curb city violence.

Last month, Mayor Greg Ballard outlined a new campaign called "Your Life Matters," which he characterized as a community-led initiative that officials hope will motivate at-risk youths to get off the streets and find jobs or volunteer programs. The campaign is specifically geared toward black-on-black violence. Of 33 homicides committed through Saturday, 10 were black-on-black crimes, police say.

The new campaign wasn't the city's only action. IMPD recently announced it was expanding a pilot program aimed at helping ex-offenders leaving prison get better acclimated in their neighborhoods.

Riggs added to the initiatives shortly after, introducing a roundtable-like series called "Community Conversations," which he said had been in the works for months. The series began with a panel of city leaders at the Indianapolis Central Library on March20, though Riggs said he hoped more informal sessions involving community members and district officers could begin soon. Wednesday, he said about 10 such meetings have been planned.

A staffing move by IMPD on Monday will put an additional 27 officers on patrol in the city's criminal "hot spot" areas, police say. The officers, who previously were assigned to work with the Indianapolis Department of Homeland Security, will be available through the spring and summer for assignment at IMPD's discretion.

Despite the recent efforts, some residents say they still feel unsafe. Until the seemingly random death of 24-year-old Nathan Trapuzzano, who was gunned down in the Tron Tire Shop parking lot Tuesday, nearby resident Sarah Glass said she rarely saw squad cars patrolling her streets.

His funeral is being conducted today.

"We're very unhappy with the way things have been going," said Glass, 75, who lives about five blocks from where Trapuzzano was killed. "I don't feel safe, even out in the yard. I really don't."